Retractable pump down ring

Abstract

A pump down ring is utilized in a downhole tool for use in a subterranean well. The pump down ring is positioned around the outer surface of a sleeve and is slidably disposed thereon. The pump down ring slidably engages the sleeve so as to have a radially-relaxed position and an expanded position where the pump down ring is expanded radially outward from the radially-relaxed position. Accordingly, the pump down ring can be placed in its expanded position to facilitate placement of the downhole tool in a wellbore by use of fluid pressure and can be placed in its radially-relaxed position to facilitate removal of the downhole tool from the wellbore.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A downhole tool for use in a wellbore defined by a wellbore wall extending through a subterranean formation, the downhole tool comprising:
 a sleeve having an interior and an outer surface, the outer surface having a first section having a first outer diameter and a second section having a second outer diameter, wherein the first diameter is greater than the second diameter so as to form a shoulder on the outer surface, and wherein the sleeve has a slot edge defining a slot in the outer surface of the second section, the slot extending longitudinally along the outer surface; 
 a pump down ring positioned around the outer surface of the sleeve and having a radially-extending member, which extends radially inward through the slot so as to extend into the interior of the sleeve, wherein the pump down ring slidably engages the sleeve so as to have a radially-relaxed position where the pump down ring does not engage the shoulder, and an expanded position where the pump down ring engages the shoulder and is expanded radially outward from the radially-relaxed position. 
 
     
     
       2. The downhole tool of  claim 1 , wherein the pump-down ring is an upward-facing cup ring. 
     
     
       3. The downhole tool of  claim 1 , wherein the shoulder is an angled shoulder. 
     
     
       4. The downhole tool of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve comprises a plurality of slots in the second section, the slots extending longitudinally along the outer surface and spaced around the circumference of the sleeve, and wherein the pump down ring has a plurality of radially-extending members with each member associated with one of the slots so as to extend radially inward through the associated slot so as to extend into the interior of the sleeve. 
     
     
       5. The downhole tool of  claim 4 , further comprising an inner ring connected to the radially-extending members such that the inner ring is in the interior. 
     
     
       6. The downhole tool of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an anchor assembly having an anchor mandrel, a slip assembly disposed about the anchor mandrel and a sealing element disposed about the anchor mandrel, wherein the anchor assembly has an unset position in which the slip assembly and sealing element are in a radially inward position and do not engage the wellbore wall, and a set position in which the slip assembly and sealing element are in a radially outward position and do engage the wellbore wall; 
 a tension mandrel at least partially contained within the first section of the sleeve, wherein the tension mandrel and sleeve engage with the anchor assembly and a setting tool such that force asserted by the setting tool moves the anchor assembly from the unset position to the set position and moves the pump down ring from the expanded position to the radially-relaxed position. 
 
     
     
       7. The downhole tool of  claim 6 , wherein the sleeve comprises a plurality of slots in the second section, the slots extending longitudinally along the outer surface and spaced around the circumference of the sleeve, and wherein the pump down ring has a plurality of radially-extending members with each radially-extending member associated with one of the slots so as to extend radially inward through the associated slot so as to extend into the interior of the sleeve. 
     
     
       8. The downhole tool of  claim 7 , further comprising an inner ring connected to the radially-extending members such that the inner ring is in the interior. 
     
     
       9. The downhole tool of  claim 8 , wherein the tension mandrel engages with the inner ring so as to move the pump down ring from the expanded position to the radially-relaxed position. 
     
     
       10. The downhole tool of  claim 9 , wherein the pump-down ring is an upward-facing cup ring. 
     
     
       11. The downhole tool of  claim 10 , wherein the shoulder is an angled shoulder. 
     
     
       12. A process for introducing a downhole tool into a wellbore defined by a wellbore wall, the process comprising:
 introducing the downhole tool into the wellbore, the downhole tool having a sleeve with a pump down ring disposed about it and a tension mandrel positioned at least partially in the sleeve, and wherein a setting tool is engaged with the sleeve and the tension mandrel and the pump down ring has an expanded position and a radially-relaxed position such that in the expanded position, the pump down ring is expanded radially outward from the radially-relaxed position; 
 lowering the downhole tool through the wellbore to a predetermined location using the setting tool and a fluid in an annulus between the wellbore wall and the downhole tool, wherein the fluid interacts with the pump down ring in the expanded position on the downhole tool so as to assist in movement of the downhole tool through the wellbore; and 
 moving the tension mandrel upward in the sleeve using the setting tool such that the tension mandrel engages with the pump down ring to move the pump down ring from the expanded position to a radially-relaxed position. 
 
     
     
       13. The process of  claim 12 , wherein the step of moving the tension mandrel further comprises moving an anchorage assembly from an unset position to a set position, wherein the tension mandrel and sleeve engage with the anchorage assembly and the anchorage assembly has a slip assembly and a sealing element such that in the unset position the slip assembly and sealing element are in a radially inward position and do not engage the wellbore wall, and in the set position the slip assembly and sealing element are in a radially outward position and do engage the wellbore wall. 
     
     
       14. The process of  claim 12 , wherein, when fluid is moving relative to the downhole tool, the movement of the fluid asserts force on the pump down ring in the expanded position to assist in movement and, when moved to the radially-relaxed position, the movement of the fluid asserts less force on the pump down ring than when the pump down ring is in the expanded position. 
     
     
       15. The process of  claim 12 , wherein the step of the moving the tension mandrel comprises the tension mandrel engaging the pump down ring so as to slide the pump down ring along the sleeve from the expanded position, where the pump down ring interacts with a radially-outward projecting shoulder on an outer surface of the sleeve so as to expand to a first outside diameter, to the radially-relaxed position, where the pump down ring does not interact with the radially-outward projection shoulder and thus retracts to a second outside diameter less than the first outside diameter. 
     
     
       16. The process of  claim 15 , wherein the pump down ring comprises the sleeve and comprises a plurality of slots, the slots extending longitudinally along the outer surface and spaced around the circumference of the sleeve, and wherein the pump down ring has a plurality of radially-extending members with each radially-extending member associated with one of the slots so as to extend radially inward through the associated slot so as to extend into the interior of the sleeve where an inner ring connects the radially-extending members such that the inner ring is in the interior. 
     
     
       17. The process of  claim 16 , wherein the step of moving the tension mandrel comprises a head portion of the tension mandrel passing into the inner ring so that a shoulder portion of the tension mandrel engages the inner ring thus moving the pump down ring along the sleeve as the tension mandrel moves in the sleeve. 
     
     
       18. The process of  claim 17 , wherein the step of moving the tension mandrel further comprises moving an anchorage assembly from an unset position to a set position, wherein the tension mandrel and sleeve engage with the anchorage assembly and the anchorage assembly has a slip assembly and a sealing element such that in the unset position the slip assembly and sealing element are in a radially inward position and do not engage the wellbore wall, and in the set position, the slip assembly and sealing element are in a radially outward position and do engage the wellbore wall. 
     
     
       19. The process of  claim 18 , wherein the step of moving the tension mandrel further comprises moving the anchorage assembly from an unset position to a set position, wherein the tension mandrel and sleeve engage with the anchorage assembly and the anchorage assembly has a slip assembly and a sealing element such that in the unset position the slip assembly and sealing element are in a radially inward position and do not engage the wellbore wall, and in the set position the slip assembly and sealing element are in in a radially outward position and do engage the wellbore wall. 
     
     
       20. The process of  claim 19 , wherein, when fluid is moving relative to the downhole tool, the movement of the fluid asserts force on the pump down ring in the expanded position to assist in movement and, when moved to the radially-relaxed position, the movement of the fluid asserts less force on the pump down ring than when the pump down ring is in the expanded position.